Five NCTA students earn American FFA Degree
CURTIS, Neb. — Five Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture students received the American FFA Degree, the highest degree awarded by the National FFA Organization, during the 99th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The recipients are Conrad Burrow of Marysville, California; Hailey Loutzenhiser of Flagler, Colorado; Sydney Sybrant of Bassett, Nebraska; Layna Wear of Holyoke, Colorado; and Paisley Zodrow, an Arapahoe High School graduate.
The American FFA Degree recognizes members for their commitment to agricultural education, leadership, community service, and their Supervised Agricultural Experience, or SAE. For the NCTA students, those experiences ranged from raising livestock and working on family farms to serving their communities and preparing for careers in veterinary medicine.
Growing through agriculture
For Sydney Sybrant of Bassett, Nebraska, her SAE began with a gift from her parents: a bred heifer she received when she was in kindergarten. Over the years, she grew her herd while learning about cattle care, management, and the responsibility of raising livestock.
A graduate of Rock County Public School and member of Rock County FFA, Sybrant said the degree represents years of hard work and the support of her family, agriculture teachers, FFA advisors, fellow students, and community.
“To me, this isn’t just an award for myself,” she said. “It’s an accomplishment I get to share with everyone who has helped me along the way.”
Sybrant, a Livestock Management student at NCTA, continues to build her cattle knowledge through hands-on classes. In her artificial insemination class, she is learning skills she can use in her own operation.
Layna Wear of Holyoke, Colorado, a Diversified Agriculture major and member of Holyoke FFA, also built her SAE around cattle. She began working on her grandparents’ commercial cattle operation, learning about pasture rotation, vaccines, branding and other management decisions. She later worked for Vision Angus near Amherst, Colorado, where she gained experience with seedstock production, cattle handling, artificial insemination and show cattle.
One of her proudest accomplishments was helping prepare a pen of three Angus heifers that earned Grand Champion honors at the National Western Stock Show.
Wear, a Holyoke High School graduate, is the first in her family to receive the American FFA Degree.
“Having been able to put in the effort to accomplish this task has given me the confidence that I can do just about anything I set my mind to,” she said.
At NCTA, Wear continues to learn by doing through hands-on classes and work at the college’s ranch.
Finding their way to NCTA
For Conrad Burrow of Marysville, California, a conversation at the 2023 National FFA Convention helped set him on the path to NCTA. While visiting college booths with his mother, he stopped to learn about NCTA and spoke with student ambassadors. He attended a Discovery Day the following year and decided it was where he wanted to go.
Burrow, an Agricultural Business major, is a Wheatland High School graduate and member of the Wheatland FFA chapter. He completed his SAE working on his parents’ farm, which raises rice, hay and corn. His responsibilities grew from shovel work and cleaning equipment to operating machinery, maintaining equipment, managing irrigation and helping plan for planting season.
At NCTA, he appreciates that his classes connect directly to his interests, including crops and pest management. He credits his agriculture teacher and mother for believing in him and supporting him as he worked toward his American FFA Degree.
Paisley Zodrow’s connection to NCTA began even earlier. As a member of the Arapahoe-Holbrook FFA chapter, she visited campus for FFA competitions throughout high school. Those visits, along with the positive things she heard about the Veterinary Technology program, helped her decide to become an Aggie.
Zodrow, an Arapahoe High School graduate, began her SAE caring for chickens and guineas. Her experiences later included work in the City of Arapahoe utility office and at Beaver Valley Animal Hospital in Beaver City, Nebraska, where her passion for agriculture and veterinary medicine continued to grow.
She also remembers the community service that helped her earn her degree, particularly serving meals and visiting with people at Crossroads homeless shelter in Kearney. She credits FFA advisor Chandler Hambidge with encouraging her to step outside her comfort zone.
“Receiving this degree gives me one last opportunity to wear the blue jacket and close this chapter,” Zodrow said.
At NCTA, she is developing skills for her future career through veterinary technology labs in areas including anesthesia, nursing, hematology, surgery and large animal practices.
From FFA contests to collegiate competition
Hailey Loutzenhiser of Flagler, Colorado, discovered her passion for agronomy through FFA’s field crops career development event. When an NCTA representative visited her high school and talked about the college’s crops team, she knew she was interested.
A member of the Flagler FFA chapter, Loutzenhiser raised market steers for her SAE, caring for them from purchase through show day. She managed their nutrition, monitored their health and prepared them for the show ring while learning about livestock management, budgeting and marketing.
Loutzenhiser said she is especially proud of her involvement in FFA at the state level, including participating in contests and helping elect state officers. She credits her advisor, Mrs. Cockreham, with encouraging students to pursue their goals and find their passions.
“To me, earning the American FFA Degree is proof that my years of hard work, leadership, and service have been recognized,” she said. “It’s the culmination of my FFA journey.”
Now a Diversified Agriculture student at NCTA, Loutzenhiser continues to learn by doing through collegiate crops contests, campus clubs and hands-on coursework.
Together, the five students’ experiences show how FFA can help young people discover their interests, serve their communities and build skills they carry into college and beyond.